Rhythmix Cultural Works to mark 10 years in Alameda

Share this:

The Chinyakare Ensemble of Oakland, led by Julia Chigamba. center. performs Zimbabwean music and dance as part of the fall 2016 Performance Art & Learning (PAL) program and the center’s ‘Round the World Festival. (Rhythmix Cultural Works)

ALAMEDA — Rhythmix Cultural Works is set to celebrate its 10-year anniversary with an open house on June 11 in an afternoon filled with dance, music and art, event organizers say.

“We will have belly dancing, Bomba Percussion & Song, Buti Yoga, capoeira, Cuban salsa, marimba, zumba and ReConnect dance — and there will be food too,” Rhythmix founder Janet Koike said. “I will be thrilled to show up and do my part. It’s great that we’ve reached a milestone in so many different ways.”

The teachers, programs and talent set to be showcased at the event “are a big part of our space and community,” she said.

“Overall, many organizations use our venue, such as Bay Area Children’s Theater, which practices here several times a week, hosts summer camps here and stages performances as well.” she said.

The June 11 anniversary event will include recognition of new patrons supporting the center with the 10 Gears for 10 Years awards. A proclamation from the city of Alameda is set to be read by Mayor Trish Spencer.

Donations to the center help fund the center’s Performance, Art & Learning (PAL) program, which is offered at no cost to schools in Alameda and Oakland. PAL serves 2,000-plus public school children each year and aims to boost awareness of world cultures and “empower underserved youth through exposure to educational music and dance assemblies,” she said.

“We present concerts of world music and educational programs, which bring schools to Rhythmix to experience all types of learning,” Koike said.

“We are increasingly bringing visibility to Alameda as an arts destination with activities like the open house and the ‘Round the World event, which we started last fall,” she continued. “We are excited and grateful to get sponsors and foundation support over the years.”

Donors also support Rhythmix programs such as Cafe Flamenco, Island Arts concerts and Island City Waterways. The center, Koike said, stages such events to “foster understanding of the many cross-cultural endeavors that are intertwined throughout Northern California. We’re honored to support the voices that need to be heard.”

The popular Island City Waterways event that took place between the Park Street and Fruitvale bridge last year, for instance, is set to be staged at Crab Cove in 2018.

“We feel that we have come a long way as an arts resource for the community and by serving it in ways that people are not always expecting,” Koike said.

In addition to classes, concerts, art shows and other activities, Rhythmix also is home to seven adults and one child in its work-live spaces.

“We have a photographer, a videographer and others, who all contribute to the artistic community,” Koike said. “This strengthens the message of what our mission is — contributing in positive ways to the broader community through the arts.

“In our 10 years, we have done so many different things, and today we are really focused on the programming. That is most important to our vision and mission,” she explained, adding that the arts center hosts dozens of classes and programs.

“In a way, the 10 years have snuck up on us, and it’s hard to believe,” Koike said. “At the same time, so much has happened in the past decade and since we began renovating the building 15 years ago.”

On June 11, the center also will open the Rhythmix 10 Exhibition.

“We’ll be using the whole gallery space as a scrapbook to show what we’ve done and how we’ve got here,” she said. “We’ve got fliers and posters from events, videos and other materials that bring it all back.”

Later in the summer, Rhythmix will stage a 10-year anniversary gala and fundraiser. See www.rhythmix.org/events/10th-anniversary-gala-fundraiser for details about the Aug. 19 event.

More in Community News

OAKLAND -- The Posey Tube, which carries traffic from Alameda into Oakland, is expected to remain closed until midnight Monday as a crew works to repair a sinkhole at its exit, according to Alameda officials. Start your day with the news you need from the Bay Area and beyond. Sign up for our new Morning Report weekday newsletter. The sinkhole...

ANTIOCH Deer Valley High to close 'The Wiz' on March 24 Deer Valley Performing Arts closes its musical “The Wiz” this weekend. The award-winning group will perform the musical at 7 p.m. March 23 and at 2 p.m. March 24 at the DVHS Theater, 4700 Lone Tree Way. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $8 for students and can be purchased at antiochschools.net/dvapa. At the door,...